The present invention relates generally to a gear lever locking mechanism for a vehicle. In particular, the present invention relates to a gear lever locking mechanism mountable directly onto a gear lever housing frame of a vehicle to lock movement of the vehicle's gear lever.
Conventional gear lever locking devices include a mechanism for locking a typical gear lever of an automobile. The typical gear lever locking device is a loop member for use in locking the gear lever only in one particular position according to the installation position. In addition, the aforementioned gear lever locking device's loop member may be unlocked by an unlocking key system. However, conventional gear lever locking devices have an operational drawback. That is, if a user wants to shift the locking position of the gear lever from the parking position (P position) to the neutral position (N position), it is impossible to shift the gear lever to the position that meets the operational requirements. Moreover, the commonly used or commercially available locking device is installed outside the gear lever cover panel, thereby deteriorating the outer appearance of the gear lever locking device installed in the vehicle, or exposing the device to become more easily damaged, and or inhibiting sufficient convenience during its usage.
Moreover, gear lever locking devices are typically required to be permanently installed alongside the gear lever. Sometimes, the installation in this manner can make the user feel that these members obstruct the steering of the automobile and possibly lead to an unexpected accident. If the device is a detachable type after being unlocked, then the detached member has to be placed in a proper place so that it will not interfere with the driver, which is inconvenient. In addition, sometimes the installation of the gear lever locking device requires some modifications to the components that have originally been installed in the automobile or other vehicle.
Thus, there is still a need for an automobile gear lever locking device capable of locking a gear lever that addresses the aforementioned problems of conventional mechanical anti-theft devices. Such a need is satisfied by the automobile gear lever locking device of the present invention.